What To Eat and Drink at Bub City, Opening Today

Our memory of the original Bub City is not that it was exactly the most inspired Lettuce Entertain You place ever, but if the new place at 435 N. Clark bearing that name has anything, it’s ambition— from the menu to the live music program to the bar menu to, ultimately, the presence of its downstairs neighbor, the Tiki lounge Three Dots and a Dash. Starting with food, there’s the barbecue-focused menu devised by Doug Psaltis (RPM Italian) with dishes like baby back ribs, burnt ends, Carolina style pulled pork and house smoked pastrami, along with a shellfish bar and southern-style sides such as “electric tater tots,” mac and cheese and collard greens. Also being served as of tonight is Paul McGee’s cocktail menu; though the much-loved mixologist from The Whistler has dabbled at other Melman restaurants since joining the company, this Bub City menu, which draws on a carefully curated whiskey selection, is his real debut for the company and shows a range that roams from takes on classic cocktails (a Horse’s Neck with ginger beer) to the appealingly crowd-pleasing (the signature slushy “Mexican Firing Squad”). While if you want a preview of Three Dots and a Dash (which is set for spring), visit another old Melman name, R.J. Grunt’s, where their burger of the month is Tiki-style with Kahlua barbecue pork, pineapple chipotle sauce and other Tiki touches that will make you think, in the words of Samuel L. Jackson on the fictitious Big Kahuna Burger… “Damn, that is a tasty burger!” In any case, check out the food and drink menu from Bub City below.